Happiness: A to Z Ways & Words To Express It …

“So many conditions of happiness are available; more than enough for you to be happy right now. You don’t have to run into the future to get more.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Happiness: A to Z Ways & Words To Express It …

Everything we do in life, every action, thought, word, and belief we hold is part of an effort to connect with that joyful, happy place inside our being. We share our insights, we strive, we connect, we struggle, all for the good feelings that arise in our hearts; a feeling of accomplishment that we’ve made a difference, contributed to the world, or helped another soul. Recently, I was reading about Oprah’s trip to India and how much fun she had traveling through parts of the country. She met lots of people there and in a wonderful interview she had with Deepak Chopra, she asked him an important question: What’s the Secret to a Happy Life? Deepak’s response was quite insightful. He explained that having a happy life means “to recognize that no matter what the situation, there’s a creative opportunity in it. Also, finding meaning and purpose in your life to make a contribution. And ultimately the secret is to make other people happy.” I liked the insertion of the creative impulse in his answer.

Deepak added an important caveat to that thought… On the subject of happiness, he said that it must begin with self care and clarity about our own creativity and goals; even in the midst of uncertainty. Happiness is our ability to embrace the wisdom of uncertainty, because if everything is certain, where is the creativity? I like the idea of seeing creative opportunities in uncertain situations and the idea led to this post. Below are 26 ways/words and quotes (from A to Z) that express happiness. Since this is a work in progress, I will update it with more ideas/insights. Happiness is a word bandied around a lot and sometimes used to hurt others. However, the good that comes of hurtful situations is that it helps us appreciate life’s happy moments even more. It helps us appreciate our friends and family more. So lets go on and embrace our happy self. We earned it. What are your thoughts? What word or group of words on happiness resonate with you most?

“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” Helen Keller

Happiness: A to Z Ways & Words To Express It …

Happiness is:Acceptance – True happiness is an acceptance of life as it is given to us, with its diminishment, mystery, uncontrollability, and all. Michael Gellert. Accepting shifts and living life = happiness.Bliss – It’s good to be just plain happy, it’s a little better to know that you’re happy; but to understand that you’re happy and to know why and how and still be happy, be happy in the being and the knowing, well that is beyond happiness, that is bliss. Henry Miller. We are all bliss in different colored gift boxes.Contentment – Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal of plain living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. Man’s happiness really lies in contentment. Mahatma Gandhi. When we are content with our choices, our happiness isn’t compromised.Delight – The pleasure which we most rarely experience gives us greatest delight. Epictetus. When we dance with abandon like the whirling dervishes, releasing all worries and care, happiness meets us there.Enjoyment/Euphoria – Life is to be enjoyed, not simply endured. Pleasure and goodness and joy support the pursuit of survival. Willard Gaylin. Enjoy your life as it is now.Feeling – Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed. Storm Jameson. Our feelings differ but our happiness doesn’t.

“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you” Nathaniel Hawthorne

Happiness: A to Z Ways & Words To Express It …

Happiness is:Growth – Growth itself, contains the germ of happiness. Pearl S. Buck. Grace in all things is another that springs happy to mindHarmony – Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Mahatma Gandhi. Harmony also means at peace with life’s ebb and flow.Inspiration – The smallest seed of faith is better than the largest fruit of happiness. Henry David Thoreau. Inspiration comes when we least expect it.Joy – Find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing. For to miss the joy is to miss all. Robert Louis Stevenson. We are embodiments of joy.Kindness – To be kind to all, to like many and love a few, to be needed and wanted by those we love, is certainly the nearest we can come to happiness. Mary Stuart. Add compassion for all life to that too.

“Remember this, very little is needed to make a happy life.” Marcus Aurelius

Happiness: A to Z Ways & Words To Express It …

Happiness is:Love – Happiness is in your ability to love others. Leo Tolstoy. And in loving ourselves too.Mirthful/Music – Fun I love, but too much fun is of all things the most loathsome. Mirth is better than fun, and happiness is better than mirth. William Blake. Music and mirth complete the joy on many levels.Nurturing – To go from mortal to Buddha, you have to put an end to karma, nurture your awareness, and accept what life brings. Bodhidharma. Self nurturing is not narcissistic, it is life saving – self preservation.Optimistic/Open – Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open. John Barrymore. And embrace it however it shows up.Precious – Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is. Maxim Gorky. Happiness can come as small as a wink.

If our purpose in life is to be happy, what stops us from focusing our energies on what truly makes us happy? If my idea of happiness is a long walk on the aqueduct, why chuck it out for endless hours on a treadmill? If your idea of happiness is enjoying the company of real life friends, why set it aside for something less real? We deny ourselves for reasons that are as individualized as we are; some psychological and some not. But the key is to continually ask ourselves the question: What is stopping me? Then begin or go back to the process of self care… More below!

“I’m as happy a man as any in the world, for the whole world seems to smile upon me!” Samuel Smiles

Happiness: A to Z Ways & Words To Express It …

Happiness is:Qi – Those who flow as life flows know they need no other qi force. Lao Tzu. In Chinese philosophy, it represents the life force/energy inherent in all things; the belief in traditional Chinese medicine is that balancing both our negative and positive forms in the body is essential for good health.Radiant – The ground we walk on, the plants and creatures, the clouds above constantly dissolving into new formations – each gift of nature possessing its own radiant energy, bound together by cosmic harmony. Ruth Bernhard. Our inherent nature is radiance; light attracts light.Smile – Always remember to be happy because you never know who’s falling in love with your smile. Author Unknown. Laughter is a great happiness elixir.Treats – One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats. Iris Murdoch. Life’s transcendental moments come as small treats.Uplifting/Upbeat – The capacity for uplift is part of what makes us essentially, euphorically human. Jessica Winter. Expressing that upbeat with others heightens our joy.

“The whole point of any spiritual practice – be it meditation, prayer, yoga, hymns or forgiveness – is to help you let go of what blocks your awareness of the eternal happiness that exists in the center of YOU.” Robert Holden

Happiness: A to Z Ways & Words To Express It …

Happiness is:Vivacity – The delight of opening a new pursuit, or a new course of reading, imparts the vivacity and novelty of youth even to old age. Benjamin Disraeli. To stay current at any age is to be vivacious and joyful.Worthy – True happiness involves the pursuit of worthy goals. Without dreams, without risks, only a trivial semblance of living can be achieved. Dan Buettner. Worthy can be a loaded word and WE are all worthy.X Factor – “If A is a success in life, then A equals X plus Y plus Z. Work is X; Y is play; and Z is keeping your mouth shut.” Albert Einstein. Name your X and honor it.You – “Nothing can bring you happiness but yourself.” Ralph Waldo Emerson. We choose … always.Zest – True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new. Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Creativity is happiness doubled.

Stay Inspired! What are your thoughts? What ways do you express happiness? What words come to mind when you think of it? How do you maintain your self care? or embrace that place of peace within? Do share! Thank you.

*Please bear with me as I continue to catch up on your blogs and commenting… Thank you all for your patience!

So many ways to express it! I love them all but I think for me, the letter W and worthy is my favorite. I also sometimes feel happy spontaneously, without really knowing a reason why. And sonetimes, that is the happiest of all! 🙂

Yes and I love when that joy bubbles up out of the blue… I had that experience yesterday as I was handling some chores for my children… Suddenly this joy and feeling of gratitude bubbled up and it was so good. No reason, no prompting. Worthy is huge for many, many people. AND we are all worthy! TY! 🙂

I can read this post again and again. The secrets of happiness is within all of us, how we chose to embrace it is all up to us. Such words of inspiration are priceless, ” It’s good to be just plain happy, it’s a little better to know that you’re happy; but to understand that you’re happy and to know why and how and still be happy, be happy in the being and the knowing, well that is beyond happiness, that is bliss.” Bliss I wish to seek and keep. Thanks.

Great list! On my calender at home I have a quote from Drew Barrymore.
“Choose Happiness.” It’s a good reminder to me that happiness can be a choice even if things aren’t lined up just right. Sometimes I can be happy when things aren’t going well. Yesterday, someone unexpectiedly gave me a cutting to a plant that I had been taking photos of an orchid a small act of kindness. I was so greatful and so surprised. My heart still feels warmed from yesterdays kindness, :+)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and I love the story abut the plant cuttings.You are right about choosing happiness even when conditions are not perfect. I get it because writing is a lifeline for me too. Blessings! 🙂

Naomi TY so much! I’ve always loved to do research so I do a bit of work on an ongoing basis and when I’ve gathered enough information, I write it. Sometimes, it’s the muse coming out to play… Above all, it’s God’s grace really and I feel the same way about all of the blogs I read… yours too. Thanks again. 🙂

Dear Sis Elizabeth thanks for your message, I tried to post on your about page but couldn’t. You could never offend me! I have been overwhelmed recently and am struggling to keep up with reading and replies. But, something has gone wrong because the one thing I do each day is read the new posts of blogs I follow and you haven’t appeared in my ‘reader’ and I haven’t had an email saying you have posted either??? I have just checked and can’t work out why!
I love your blog, it’s pure delight that always surprises me, so please forgive me, I’ll put a diary note to make sure I come by 🙂

Thank you for letting me know… I wondered why all of a sudden I stopped getting responses to my blog from others that usually commented. I will check in with support and find out what happened. Like you, I have been overwhelmed with it all… plus running a household with teenagers and other demands. Last Friday, I was so overwhelmed with blog post emails – about 5000+ from old and new that I had to turn off notifications to receive emailed posts. I could no longer find even important email from other sources. I am slowly emptying my box and will turn it on after I’m done… But I know others who turned theirs off and there was no mention that their posts were not going out. Strange! Maybe a new WP function. TY! 🙂

Okay so I didn’t get this post in my reader either, but, I’ve found a setting where I have disabled emails for new posts despite the fact that on the top page I ticked to receive them. I remember doing that when I couldn’t cope with the volume but thought the reader would do the job – wrong!

Okay dear Gilly thanks again! I disabled emails too last Friday when the number in my mailbox hit 5000+ and I’ve been running around catching up on what’s in my box and then responding to people who comment, follow, and like my posts. Once I empty it all out, I’ll open email again and use it differently. Like you, I didn’t unsubscribe as I like the blogs I follow but that constant email barrage was making it difficult to catch up. TY! 🙂

This is just amazing. I like Benjamin Disraeli’s quote (the letter “V”) – it resonates with me! This is an incredible blog post, so detailed and thoughtful. I am saving it and will re-read it. Thanks again!

A wonderfully written post about a condition so strived for, relentlessly pursued, so often tragically missed or lost, mistaken or misunderstood, thrown away carelessly or abandoned lightly. Precious and beautiful, tender and fantastic, gorgeous ans simple.

Very inspiring post! After a difficult time where my OH lost both his parents to illness in the space of 2 years, getting back to happiness is most definitely on our agenda. The road isn’t that easy sometimes but I might just pick a few of these quotes and stick them on the fridge to keep us heading in the right direction. Thanks for stopping by on my blog by the way!

What a wonderful post and thoroughly well thought out and carefully executed blog. I congratulate you and I am thankful….happy indeed to have discovered it this November afternoon. I wrote in my journal today that happiness is finding peace which I manage more and more everyday by keeping my emotions stable…remaining mindful and making each day about ..that day.. first and foremost.

This is definitely a post that can be read again and again. Just reading the words makes me feel happy…doesn’t that say something about controlling your own happiness? Think happy thoughts…ponder happy words and you will be…happy!

I just found this today, Eliz, and like most of your posts, there’s a lot to think about. Bliss- we are all bliss in different coloured boxes. I love that! And also Joy and Optimism. Have a wonderful New Year!